7. The Baltimore Orioles will be among the league’s worst teams
The AL East might be the most even of divisions across the board, but don’t expect Buck Showalter‘s Orioles to be fighting near the top. Going into an offseason that saw the Birds needing to upgrade their pitching, they managed to strike a deal with Yovani Gallardo. Say good bye to Wei-Yin Chen who bolted for the Miami Marlins.
Then they outbid themselves to retain first baseman Chris Davis; a contract with disastrous long-term consequences. For a guy who hits for power, and not much else, the Orioles are simply not good enough to compete in 2016. Their ERA was 4.05 last season and for an offseason that focused more on offense, they are going to have to hope that offense scores in bunches to help out the precarious rotation. Then there’s the whole Dexter Fowler flop; suffice it to say, it’s been less than an ideal offseason for the Orioles.
